I got my first 1-star review on Amazon and it was a bit devastating. It made me doubt myself and my writing abilities. I know I'm not the best writer out there. I'm still a work in progress. But the reviewer was a bit unkind.

First, she made fun of something I didn't write:

Let me be clear. The writing is trite...please find a different way to say "right before my very eyes." As opposed to what? My NOT very eyes...my sorta eyes?

She quoted me on "right before my very eyes." I did a search of the final manuscript, even checked every sentence where "eyes" were mentioned, and it wasn't there. Nothing even came close to it.

Apparently, here is the crux of the problem:

The story is good. I would have been willing to buy a new story had this one actually had an ending. I just hate being manipulated. This story and all others by the author are hereby banished from my kindle.

Even though the writing is "trite" she thought the story was "good" and would have been "willing to buy a new story". So the story wasn't actually that bad, she was just mad about the ending or what she considered the lack of an ending. Here's the dealio: I released the Afterlife series in three separate novellas. I tried to give each novella an ending for that particular story, while at the same time letting the reader know that there was more to the story and they'd have to buy the next book to get the full story. Second Death, the first book and the subject of this review is perma-free (so she didn't buy it). I sort of get where she's coming from, but I certainly didn't think in terms of "manipulation" when I set up the marketing strategy, i.e. read the first one for free, buy the other two if you're interested.I really do want to be fair, though. I want my readers to be happy and of course I always, always, always want to do the right thing. So, here are my questions for you:

Is this a bad marketing strategy?

Should I take books II and III down and only sell the series as a whole so that there is an "ending" readily available?Thanks so much for your help!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group day! The first Wednesday of every month is when members of the Group post about our writerly insecurities. If you want to sign up, go HERE. Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh and his co-hosts for making this event happen every month.

Last month I posted about Marketing and what a nightmare it is and how fearful I am of doing it. Well--that hasn't changed. But I did a lot of marketing in October, making one book free and the next two discounted.

I also bought Twitter and Facebook Ads and a lot of you expressed an interest in how it went, so I'll share it here.

Facebook Ad for 2 weeks $5/day budget up to $70.00: 365 new followers. I was able to target a certain age group so now I have some age appropriate followers whereas I had mostly writer friend followers before.

So you can do the math. It didn't do much for me sales-wise but I did pretty well on new followers.

So will the exposure have done anything for me? Being realistic, I doubt it. I'm writing in an in-between age category (tween/teen) that's tough to sell.

Also being realistic, I pulled out of the IWSG Anthology short story contest that I was going to enter. I could have written a story and entered it, but it wouldn't have been my best. Just not enough time for a slow poke like me.

But I'm moving on. I'm working on two outlines (one that I was going to enter in the contest but decided to take more time on it) that are nearly done. One for a novella and one for a novel, both adult. I have high hopes.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group day! The first Wednesday of every month is when members of the Group post about our writerly insecurities. If you want to sign up, go HERE. Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh and his co-hosts for making this event happen every month.

Marketing. Doesn't the word strike fear in your heart? It does mine. If you're an indy author or with a small press then you know the agony of marketing. You're expected to do it yourself. But of course, you can't really do it by yourself. You need help and you have to ask for it. You have to ask bloggers to host you and share your books. It's a lot of social media. Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Wattpad.

That's why I've done virtually no marketing of my books this year. The push and the grind of trying to get sales is stressful. I just didn't want to do it. Blogging has been part of that push and grind for me too. So I took a break.

But, well, I really want to be a writer. A successful writer. So I'm starting to come back around. I'm getting those stirrings where I'm sort of caring again. About writing and even marketing. And maybe when I really get back into the writing (I've only been outlining) I'll care about blogging again and sharing what I'm working on.

So--since I write paranormal and this is October, the most paranormal month of the year, I went out on a limb and took things in hand a bit. I made Second Death free (which wasn't easy, but I'm pretty sure it was the hour I sat at my laptop pasting in the free link from B&N at Amazon so they'd price match) and put books II & III on sale. AND, I'm doing Facebook and Twitter sponsored ads. We'll see how it goes *shrugs*

OH! And I decided to be a real author and start a NEWSLETTER. It'd be awesome if you subscribed up at the top in the sidebar--and receive a free book (See? I've got marketing mojo!).

And...I'm thinking about writing a short story for the A-Z Anthology contest. Not that I'll win, not with all the other awesome authors and submissions, but I think it will be a good experience for me.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Despite the old saying to the contrary, everyone knows you really CAN judge a book by its cover.

I'm nearly always attracted by a cover first. Of course I have to like the blurb about the content, but the cover is the first impression.

AND,

I am very impressed with these two covers!

Check them out...

Coming soon! From Amazon bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Mayhem in the Air, a supernatural anthology of ten thrilling tales. Meet hot robots, hungry winds and the goddess of chaos. Explore alien planets, purgatorial realms, and a shocking place where people bury the living with their dead.

Mayhem in the Air is the second, long-awaited story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

Stephen Tremp writes speculative fiction and his fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is
a supernatural thriller. A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of
the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new
generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast.

For a full synopsis
and to pre-order a copy of Salem’s
Daughters for $2.99 (price goes up to $4.99 soon after release) Click Here

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

It's the first Wednesday of the month which coincides with the Insecure Writer's Support Group day, and my monthly post. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts for all the work they do on our behalf. Stop by their blogs and say hello to Alex Cavanaugh, Heather M. Gardner, Christine Rains, Dolorah at Book Lover, Julie Flandersand Murees Dupé if you get a chance. Since I have nothing new to say about my writing insecurities, I thought I'd share about my hopes and plans. I've been working on an outline for a new book/series. It's taking a loooong time. Strangely, I'm okay with that. I want it to be right. But I am still really excited to get started on the writing part! I'm hoping that once I start the writing that I can share bits and pieces of it with graphics here on my blog and on Twitter and Facebook. Maybe build up some interest in the book while it's still in the writing process. And, you know, sort of act like I'm catering to those avid readers who can't wait for my next book to come out. *snort* Someday I hope to say that without snorting. But mostly I want to enjoy the whole process without feeling the pressure to publish and just take my time to make sure the writing and story is as good as I'm capable of producing.I might even try to blog once per week instead of once per month!

I've taken a huge step back this year and have written very little. I wrote a short story for the anthology with my Untethered Realms group which is a prequel to the series I'm planning. I've written two chapters for novel #1 in the series to get a feel for how it will go and am maybe halfway through with the outline.

I've always written from an outline, but...

After taking James Patterson's Masterclass and paying close attention to the section on outlines and receiving his actual outline (eeep!) for his novel, Honeymoon, I'm trying to follow his model by making my outline more detailed. Patterson's outlines are numbered and each one is a chapter/section. His method focuses on story, and each section is like a movie scene. Just tell the story. Go back and fill in the blanks. Keep fleshing it out, then get rid of anything that doesn't move the story forward. Put in some twists. By the time you're done, the story is set and all you have to do is write it. His method, to me, is more straight forward and less mechanical than other craft books I've read.

Monday, June 29, 2015

You all know how I love my ghosties, so I'm thrilled to have Chrys Fey here today with a guest post in celebration of her new release, Ghost of Death!It's also (almost) Insecure Writer's Support Group Day so I'm going to combine the two. Gotta have some good stuff (Chrys's new release) along with my same old insecurities!My last few posts for the IWSG have been about the lack of time, the stress of not writing, and lots of studying of the craft. And so nothing has changed. It's a slowing down and learning year for me. I've given myself permission. Right now I'm taking the James Patterson Master Class (we received a copy of his outline of Honeymoon! Eeep! It's 27 pages long and I can't wait to dig in.)But moving on...For more information on the Insecure Writer's Support Group, click on the link.

Ever give yourself permission to take a step back?

How's your writing going?

***

And now on to the best part of this post,

Chrys Fey!

I love to watch ghost movies, specifically ones about
real ghosts...not poltergeists or evil entities. Real ghosts are the kind of
ghosts I also like to write about, like Jolie Montgomery in Ghost of Death, my newest short story.
For fun, I am sharing my top ten favorite ghosts from fiction.

My
Top Ten Favorite Ghosts:

1. Casper

2. The Grey Lady (Harry Potter)

3. The Ghosts from A Christmas Carol (Past, Present, and
Future)

4. Sam Wheat (Ghost)

5. Susie Q (Played by Amy Jo Johnson)

6. Penny Halliwell (Charmed)

7. Barbara Maitland (Beetlejuice)

8. Ellen Rimbauer (Rose Red)

9. Samara Morgan (The Ring 1 + 2)

10. Bloody Mary

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite ghost?

Title: Ghost of Death

Author: Chrys Fey

Genre: Supernatural/Suspense

Format: eBook Only

Page Count: 41 (short story)

Release Date: April 22nd, 2015

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Blurb:

Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up
in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night
she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life.
Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking
the lead detective on the case.

Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person
responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity
with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.

But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an
earth-bound spirit forever.

With the sound of her mom’s grief
wafting up to her, Jolie came to terms with her present state. I’m dead and now my mom knows it. She eyed
the door in front of her. She hadn’t yet walked through a door, but if her hand
could pass through metal then she knew she could move through wood.

If I have to be a ghost then I’ll be a
damn good one. All across the afterlife I’ll be known as the Ghost of Death!
And I’m going to start by walking through this damn door!

She would’ve taken a
deep breath to brace herself if she could have, so she mentally pumped herself
up instead. You can do it! Easy-peasy.
Nothing to it. And she took a step forward. Solid matter slipped around and
through her form. On the other side, a familiar site confronted her: a black
and white bed, the bright green shag carpet in the middle of the room, and a
white desk.

Stepping up to her desk, Jolie eyed
her ancient desktop computer, the one she used before her dad gifted her with a
laptop when she announced she was accepted to the local university. Wanting to
send out the first ever tweet from the afterlife, she pushed the button to
bring the device to life, but her finger poker straight through it. Resigning
to her Twitter-less fate, she moved toward the full-length mirror hanging on
the wall. She saw nothing. Not even a shimmer in the air hinted at her
presence.

Being
a ghost sucks!

Also Available:

Blurb:

Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the
supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of
nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical
murder involves working with a witch.

Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil
witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she
becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more
people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30
Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll
serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.

When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of
being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve,
she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later
rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next
hurricane to come her way.

You can connect with her on Facebook and her blog, Write
with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's Insecure Writer's Support Group day. If you want to join this awesome group, go HERE. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for hosting this monthly event and a big shout out to all who help make this event happen every month.

Also, welcome to what has become my monthly blog post. Sad, but true, it seems. I don't want to post if I can't comment and return visits. And since I've had to prioritize, if it's a choice between working on my next novel and blogging, then the novel writing wins. I know you can all relate.

When I win the Time Lotto, I'll do more blogging.

So on to my insecurity. I'm actually feeling pretty good about what I'm doing. I've read several books on craft recently and have a couple of outlines started. I need to get more organized and combine what I've learned into something that works best for me. I've actually started writing, because whichever outline version I use, they start out the same. Beginning the writing process has eased my anxiety about not getting any writing done. I feel good about it, so it's all good!

How's your writing life going?

Even though I'm not getting a lot done, I know some awesome writers who are!

In the far future,
humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a
harsh universe. This is the sixth book in the science fiction series, The
Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

The Backworlds
hang by a Quantum string, a thread about to snap. Annihilation is coming if
Craze can’t stop it.

The genocidal
alien he had trapped breaks free, destroying a ship belonging to the
Backworlds’ oldest enemy, the Fo’wo’s. The murderous alien wants to overtake
the galaxy. The Fo’wo’s want another war.

The Backworlds’
best chance to survive is to overcome a century of hate and forge an alliance
with the Fo’wo’s. Because of his history with the alien, Craze is recruited to
represent his people. Now he’s the most hated man in the galaxy.

The looming war
will be a holocaust unless Craze can stop it, knowing salvation comes at a
price.

Sounds awesome, right?Well, here's another interesting bit from the main character, Craze:

Question: What is the most expensive drink in the Backworlds?

Craze:Hot chocolate.
A tiny bar of chocolate can buy you a spaceship in the Backworlds. Not a top of
the line deal, but a working spaceship all the same.

A monster hunts us. After
hibernating for a decade, it’s ravenous. We long to stop this nightmare, but
the end of the road is far. There is no waking up once a legend sets its sights
on you.

Disappearances every ten or so years
make little impact on the small town of New Haven, Virginia. Hikers get lost.
Hunters lose the trail. Even when a body is discovered, the inhabitants’
memories last about as long as the newspaper articles.

No one connects the cases. No one
notices the disappearances go back beyond Civil War times. No one believes a
legendary monster roams the forests in Southwestern Virginia.

I don’t either until the truck
breaks down on an old mountain trail. Cell phones won’t work in this neck of
the woods. It’s amazing how much a person can see by starlight alone. So what
if we can’t feel our fingers or toes as we hike toward the main road. How many
more miles left to go?

Crrraaack!

Hear that noise?

I'm shivering already!

Purchase Once
upon a Nightmare: A Collection by Cherie Reich at Amazon.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Well that was the fastest April in history! I took the month off from this blog, but participated in the 2015 A-Z Blogging Challenge with Untethered Realms. I think it's pretty darn cool that bloggers do this every year. It's a chance to touch base with old blogging friends and meet new ones. All in all, it's quite the success!

So, onto the business of May, and in particular the first Wednesday of the month when members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group post about writerly stuff. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and his minions for hosting this every month and making sure that hundreds of writers receive a supportive visit.

After publishing three books I wanted to up my game by learning more about pacing and writing a better book. I read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and learned a lot. Even though it's for screenwriters, it's a great tool for any writer. Then I heard about Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker. Both are basically the same premise, but TOYP is specifically for writers. I'm learning a lot, even though most of what I've read I already knew, just never really applied it, at least not in an organized manner.

So, what's my problem? I've gotten no writing done this year. Just bits and pieces. I keep telling myself I'm investing in learning time to become a better writer. But I'm getting antsy because, well, I haven't written anything! I thought I'd get a book out this year, but now it's May and I'm thinking maybe not. Probably not! I feel like I'm behind in my time, as Scrooge accused Marley in A Christmas Carol. *big sigh*

I'll keep it short in case you want to slip over to Untethered Realms. My only complaint is....wait for it (LOL)....TIME! No big surprise, right? Summer is my busy season at work (Why yes, it is summer in San Diego right now! Inland, where I live, we're already reaching 90 degree temps) which, when you're in the swimming pool business, means long hours and too tired to do anything in the evenings except sip on a glass of wine.

And because it's also April Fool's Day, I thought you might like a couple of jokes!

How many science fiction writers does it take to change a light bulb? Two, but it's actually the same person doing it. He went back in time and met himself in the doorway and then the first one sat on the other one's shoulder so that they were able to reach it. Then a major time paradox occurred and the entire room, light bulb, changer and all was blown out of existence.

And another oldie but goodie...

How many mystery writers does it take to change a light bulb? Two. One to screw the bulb almost all the way in, and one to give a surprising twist at the end.

Monday, March 9, 2015

I'm so happy to have the marrrvelous Elizabeth Seckman here today. Her son interviewed her and if you have kids, you know how direct and to the point they can be. We all know Elizabeth because of the awesome romances she writes. She has a new one out, by the way. You can check it out below. But there is no doubt about what's important to Elizabeth...

My son, Cole, interviewed me (his darling sweet mother) for a class he was taking and here's what he came up with...

I was born in Barberton, Ohio...a city south of Cleveland. Moved to Middlebourne (a tiny town without a redlight or a crosswalk) when I was a few weeks old...hence the nickname...Grit...my parents shamefully turned a Buckeye into a Grit.

School years...I practiced basketball...did one year of track in order to stalk their father...found him offensive and berated him for the next three years, then asked him to prom...on to college...went on scholarship, worked as a cashier, a waitress, did some catering (fancy waitressing in heels and a skirt), then went to work as an resident advisor...graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Went to work. Did case management then family preservation for at risk youth...had four kids then quit to raise them.

"Soooo, you ever feel like once you had us, you sort of became, well, just a mom?" Cole asked.

Short answer. YES.

BUT....Nothing in this world compares to being a mom. Raising my kids hasn't been an afterthought. It's not something I've done on my way to something else. If I die tomorrow and I've done nothing more than raise good kids, then I die successful.

"Soooo, if I start using drugs, you're a failure?"

Short answer. NO.

I don't exppect my kids to be perfect. I expect they'll have their share of screw ups.

But as a mom, I will be right there to hold their hands...or put a foot in their butts. I'll do whatever it takes to move them from childhood to adulthood with as few scars and as many advantages as possible.

Cause I am a mom...that's what I do.

The Blurb:

Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long
line of trouble-making, white trash stock.

Tanner Coulter comes from a longer
line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.

Jo graduated college top of her
class, moving toward a future full of possibilities.

Tanner dropped out of college,
trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis
throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is
immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true
love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so
does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by
defying reason.

Author Bio:

Elizabeth
is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever-
after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots.
The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of
the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but
dreams daily of the beach.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

The first Wednesday of the month is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day, where writers confess their writing fears and woes. If you want to sign up, go HERE. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts, Chemist Ken,Suzanne Sapseed, and Shannon Lawrence!
Things are going well for me so far this year. I haven't gotten a lot of actual writing done, but I read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, and WOW! I love what he has to say and how he organizes his work. As someone who appreciates organization and writes outlines before I can begin to write a book, his book was an eye opener. And not only organization, but a system to insure that each scene has emotion and conflict.

It's a slow process and I've found myself getting anxious that I'm not getting any actual writing done. Then I reminded myself that I don't need to be in a hurry. The only deadlines are in my head. That a good story takes a lot of planning in order to work, at least for a plotter like me. Now pantzers are another story...

The truth is, I'm enjoying this process of basically "book building" immensely (even though it's for screenwriting, it's an excellent tool for a novelist). By the time I through planning, I figure the story will be in place and the only thing left to do will be the actual writing.

Monday, March 2, 2015

There's nothing’s more dangerous than a wizard-in-training. And Pete Riley, has just proven it. He's worked a bad time spell--a very bad time spell.

No YouTube, no smoothies, no Manga. Not ever again. Not unless Pete figures out how to reverse his spell and free Weasel and him from Victorian England. He has until the next full moon. Only a few days.Tick. Tock.

Here’s how the story starts, and it only gets worse.

One minute the clock was tick-tocking
on the mantel and the next it was a
smoldering mess.“No,”􏰁Harriet shouted. Then she braced
one hand on her desk and covered her eyes
with the other.
Pete froze, not blinking, not breathing,
but waiting to see if Harriet would point one
of her long, bony fingers at him and turn
him into a turnip or something slimy.

Usually, C. Lee takes on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. Her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, which dealt with cutting and suicide was published in 2009. Her second, titled The Princess of Las Pulgas, dealing with a family who loses everything and must rebuild their lives came out in 2010. Double Negative (2014) was her third young adult novel. Researching it turned her into a literacy advocate. Her fourth YA, Sudden Secrets came out in December 2014.

When she really want to have FUN, she writes middle grade books. Alligators Overhead andThe Great Time Lock Disaster are now available.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Now I've heard of spontaneous combustion, but if it happens more than once within a short period of time within a certain range? You know it's not a coincidence. It's not some isolated chemical reaction.

The midnight sun bakes Fairbanks, Alaska as residents gather
for the annual summer solstice baseball game. Amidst the revelry and raucous
shouts of “Play ball,” a spark alights and a jogger bursts into flames.
Detective Danny Fitzpatrick, still reeling from his near death at the hands of
vampire Aleksei Nechayev, watches in horror as the man burns alive.

Someone is burning Fairbanks and its residents and leaving
nothing but smoldering embers behind. As the city sweats under a
record-breaking heatwave and unexplained fires claim more victims, Danny and
his colleagues struggle to find an arsonist who can conjure fire out of thin
air.

To Danny’s horror, the only one who may be able to help him
stop the arsonist is his nemesis Nechayev. Will the vampire help in the hunt
for a witch?

Julie
Flanders is a librarian by day and a writer all the rest of the time. She is
also a television show addict with a particular fondness for Game of Thrones
and The Walking Dead and a slightly obsessive sports fan who cheers for the
Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Reds. Julie is an animal lover and
animal rescue advocate who shares her home with her rescued dog and cat. She
has written about the joys of pets for outlets such as Cat Fancy, Thrive in
Life, and Best Friends Animal Society. Visit Julie at julieflanders.net.